GEJ by March should give him a dismissal letter, If he refuses to resign he should apply force by Locking up his Office and getting him arrested as well, it was GEJ that employed him so if his services are no longer needed he can be sacked as well, Sanusi has always been incompetent to be the CBN Governor for crying out Loud, all his banking policies has always be useless that Mallam should just go.
^^^You ought to buried your head in shame, with such incontestible evidence of retaaarded logic
taharqa: @e-Gorilla, sorri e-Guerilla, the money the Commissioner of Ebonyi was talking about has NOTHING to do with d phantom '$50bn'. The Commissioner never made ANY link to it nor was it what he was refering to; that 'link' was made in d headline by Shameless PT, from whom this blogger-Newspaper. NNPC has been paying a particular sum to FAAC every month for sm time now, I bliv about #7billion each month; a sum they also paid in dat last FAAC meeting 3 days ago.
taharqa: @e-Gorilla, sorri e-Guerilla, the money the Commissioner of Ebonyi was talking about has NOTHING to do with d phantom '$50bn'. The Commissioner never made ANY link to it nor was it what he was refering to; that 'link' was made in d headline by Shameless PT, from whom this blogger-Newspaper. NNPC has been paying a particular sum to FAAC every month for sm time now, I bliv about #7billion each month; a sum they also paid in dat last FAAC meeting 3 days ago.
My position on this issue is quite simple. If Sanusi was methodical enough to mention the specific levy of N22 billion which had not been remitted, in his letter to Presido -
“Finally, your Excellency, we would like to report that NNPC has failed to keep up with payments of its levies under Nigerian Export Supervision Scheme (NESS), in line with this law, and currently owes the Federal Government N22 billion.
We must understand that he was addressing another specific concern when he employed "diverted away" as an operative phrase -
“Your Excellency, it is my respectful view that a place to begin is to insist on NNPC to account fully for all proceeds that were diverted away from its accounts with the CBN and the Federation Account. There are also other lines of inquiry which your Excellency may wish to authorise and pursue.
Source
If you read between the lines here, you would see that the NNPC's initial response, a few days ago, was clearly designed to obfuscate minds.
Who sanctioned the diversion of these funds? How much interest was accrued?
tomakint: I don't think the problem of an average black man is his inability to read but rather his inability to comprehend what he is reading.....a simple case is this scenario where a budget of $38 billion in a fiscal year suddenly gave birth to a $49 billion 'missing funds'! The question now is, how come?
XYZ company has a total budget of $38Billion. The chief financial officer alleges that the CEO was responsible for loosing $50Billion from the same fiscal year. And we have some people applauding the financial officer for being so smart He simply cant even add and subtract!
Amount Sanusi alleges was stole from the coffers of 1 ministry (NNPC) within the entire federal government $49.8b Missing Oil Money http://premiumtimesng.com/news/151445-%E2%80%AAmissing-%E2%80%AAn8-trillion-nnpc-accuses-sanusi-playing-politics.html
I have renounced all respect for this man unless he appologized for his failed attempt to deceive Nigerians. This means that everything from the paychecks of every in the government including the whole senate and president, to recurrent expenditures were all stolen by the NNPC. and lo and behold the person he's making the accusation towards
As a general rule, Nigerians that are citizens of other countries are barred from contesting elected offices. [b]However, some legal scholars make the argumen[/b]t that one's Nigerian citizenship by birth isn't negated by taking on citizenship of another country (usually via naturalization).
I hear you CTCfan. But you must admit that the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
Mainly because the jury is still out on the matter of political office holders with dual citizenship; those who fall into that category are wise enough not to make any public pronouncements about their divided loyalties.
Concerning the primary focus of this thread; I would have absolutely no qualms supporting his candidacy if he was contesting certain other offices (my local constituency or as member of the shadow cabinet). For reasons of self-preservation, however, his current foray does not have my support.
Lest I be misunderstood; it would not matter to me if it were David Lamming, Diane Abbot, or any of the other long standing BME MPs, who put themselves forward. Britain is not the USA - so the idea of nominating a party leader drawn from an ethnic minority group, is premature at this stage.
He is legally a British. His father renounced that citizenship and his mother is English. His parents are Igbo and English and he is British by Brith and by Parentage.
You don't know that his father renounced his Nigerian citizenship for a fact. It is always best to stick to matters that can be proven.
Now let me make one thing clear to the wider audience: because the only person who can actually pass on Nigerian citizenship to Chuka Umunna died a long time ago, that entitlement now only exists on paper. In other words; while it is true that he could have availed of Nigerian citizenship at one point, this is no longer the case in a practical or legal sense.
safarigirl: do you know the meaning of DUAL CITIZENSHIP or are you intentionally trying to sound daft?
Once again, educate yourself, if tomorrow he wants to run for Nigerian Presidency, he has that right. The British constitution is not our business. As far as the laws of Nigeria go, Chuka has the same rights as you and I, his birth place is of no importance
Your previous assertion concerning dual citizenship was correct. The one I have emboldened is, however, stretching credulity. As things currently stand, Nigeria will never allow someone with split loyalties to contest the highest office in the land.
MzJackBaueress: do you know the irony of it all? The 4 biggest Igbo bigots on Nairaland are all based in US:
Babyosisi Biafranqueen OneNaira Ikengawo
They come to nairaland and promote hatred among ethnic groups from the comfort of their homes in America.
God will visit them soon for promoting hatred on Nairaland.
They are all clearly unhinged, in my view. As I mentioned on a different thread, because their antics have not gone unnoticed, the treatment they need is currently undergoing clinical trials.
You can take my word for it - Ban Ki-Moon won't be of any help, when shitz begins to roll down hill.
Man treks from Abeokuta to Lagos to thank Tinubu for Buhari’s victory
May 12, 2015
Abdullahi Nadabagi before trekking from Abeokuta to Lagos Photo by: Abiodun Onafuye, Abeokuta
A lad identified as Abdullahi Afolabi Nadabagi on Monday morning left Abeokuta, Ogun state capital to embark on a trek to Lagos state.
He disclosed that his mission to walk on foot is to meet with the former governor of Lagos and a national leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to thank him for supporting Buhari in the last poll.
Abdullahi, a native of Nupe, Niger state commenced his journey from the popular OPIC roundabout, Oke Ilewo, Abeokuta at exactly 6:43am.
Speaking with PM News before setting out, the fashion designer and father of two, called on Nigerians to assist him with prayer, hinting that, his purpose is in the interest of all.
According to him, “When I saw everybody going to Abuja to praise Buhari for his victory, I thought, we need to honour the magic man behind the success. You and I know that General Muhammed Buhari had contested three times but the last one he won with the singular efforts of this great Nigerian and undoubtedly, Yoruba leder, Tinubu.
“Tinbu contributed immensely to the victory of Buhari and other candidates of the APC. Before the elections, many people had prophesied that the country will disintegrate after the polls but Nigerians have shamed all the prophets of doom and we had a smooth and successful election.
“The Jagaban Borgu remains an engineer of revolution and a master strategist, who used his political sagacity and experience to give us total revolution in Nigeria without bloodshed.
“This man must be appreciated and praised. He stood like the Rock of Gibraltar behind Buhari, and against all odds, humiliation, harassment, intimidation, hate statements, lies and other things, he remained undaunted and ensured that APC won. So, when young Nigerians from Abuja, Adamawa, Bauchi, Kaduna and other parts of the country are trekking down to Abuja to greet the president-elect, I decided to go and greet the man behind the success, Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he stated.
The son of the former King of Nupe people in Ogun state disclosed that the journey will take him four days because he will stop over for a rest 6:00pm daily to have a 12 hours rest before continuing the following day by 6:00am.
He is taking the old Lagos Abeokuta old road to Lagos through Wasinmi, Itori, Ifo, Sango Ota and then link Lagos through Alakuko-Amje-Alagbado axis.
Abdullahi told our correspondent that he had met with the DPO of Sabo, Abeokuta for security permit, which the police boss has granted him. On his health condition, he affirmed that he was fit and okay for the journey, adding that, his medical doctor confirmed his medical status, certifying him okay for the trip.
“Even, if Tinubu is based in Abuja, I am strong and okay to trek down. I have contacted my doctor and he has certified me okay for the journey. I am just fortunate because if he is base in Kaduna, Bauchi or Abuja, I will trek down there from this spot in Abeokuta to thank him for giving us hope for a better Nigeria”.
Abdullahi’s father, Alhaji Chief Nasir Ndabagi was the former King of Nupe people in Ogun state before he died few years ago.
His mother hails from Abeokuta in Ogun state. He was married early to Aisha as their custom demands and his marriage is blessed with two girls, Serifat (two and half years old) and Ummi who is nine months old.
He attended ANLG primary school, Sabo, Abeokuta, now Bashorun MKO Abiola primary school. He later proceeded to Saint Peters High school for his secondary school but completed it at Olumo High School, Abeokuta.
The Nupe Prince got admission to Moshood Abiola Polytechnics, MAPOLY, Ojere, Abeokuta to study Business Administration but failed to complete his national diploma course due to financial constraint.
He maintained that he will soon return to school to complete his education, given the educational development of the present administration in Ogun state under the leadership of Ibikunle Amosun.
Now a fashion designer with many apprentices, he is optimistic that Nigerians will enjoy the new government.
As at the time of filing this report, the lad had trekked past Itori en route Ifo town.
He disclosed that his intention and desire is to meet with the royal father of Lagos, Oba of Lagos, HRH Oba Rilwan Akiolu; Governor of Lagos state, Babatunde Raji Fashola and if possible, the state lawmakers before setting out to political mecca of Lagos, Bourdillon street, resident of Jagaban of Borgu, Asiwaju Tinubu.
Sanctimonious anger from an individual who has been part of the same corrupt establishment for a long time? I don't care! Someone has to be speak up against the poor fiscal management seen in many states, which has resulted in civil servants going without pay for months at a time. This is totally unacceptable and if it takes someone like Murray-Bruce to coalesce minds, so be it.
In order not to conflate issues, his seeming insouciance over the past 5 years - while one promise after another was broken by Jonathan's government - would not be addressed here. His stewardship of NTA, which did not yield the level of success attained elsewhere with Silverbird (his own personal outfit), would also be explored further at another time. As we are badly in need of political figures who can walk a different path, even if only for a time, his spirited intervention has my full blessing.
The All Progressives Congress, APC, has said the incoming Buhari Administration would not persecute anyone, in response to statements credited to President Goodluck Jonathan.
The party however said officials of the outgoing administration must be ready to answer questions regarding their stewardship.
Mr. Jonathan had on Sunday said he expects his Ministers and aides to be “persecuted”.
Speaking at a thanksgiving service organized in his honour at the Anglican Church, Life Camp, Abuja, Mr. Jonathan said he believed he lost some allies as well as the March presidential election because of “certain decisions” he took.
“It (the decisions) might be good for the generality of the people but it might affect some people differently,” the president said. “So for ministers and aides who served with me, I sympathize with them, they will be persecuted. And they must be ready for that persecution,” he said.
However, the APC, in a statement in Abuja on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, said those “who played poker with the nation’s destiny must be willing and eager to clear their conscience before man and God.
”That the President-elect is a man of integrity is not an issue for debate, and he has made it clear that he will not be bogged down by endless probes.
”However, the hands of the incoming government will not be tied by those who have chosen to play the victim and exhibit a persecution mentality. Whoever has any reason to be afraid must lay bare such reason before Nigerians,” the party said.
It said that under the climate of change that Nigerians have ushered in with their votes, only the guilty needs to be afraid, and those with a guilty conscience, on account of their actions in the public sphere, must clear such so they can be at peace with themselves.
”The last time we checked, this does not fit the definition of persecution,” the APC said.
The party wondered why the President chose a public forum to express his fears when he could have done so privately during his meetings with the President-elect.
”Since the presidential election was won and lost, the President and the President-elect have met privately a number of times. Why didn’t President Jonathan express his apprehensions during these meetings?
”Even if the two have not met, the President could have reached out to the President-elect over any fears that he may be nursing, instead of engaging in an action that seems like he was being preemptive and seeking to curry public sympathy,” it said
The APC insisted that the priority of the incoming government would be the welfare and security of the long-suffering people of Nigeria, and enjoined all citizens to support the administration in charting a new path for the country – away from the rapaciousness and impunity of the past years.
Osinbanjo is an academic, he will definitely be pulling his weight in the background, watch out for policy formulations that will most likely interest him.
I don't know why most of you cannot reason beyond petty bigotry.
Reason beyond petty bigotry? Is it possible to squeeze blood from a stone?
Just take a look at some of his recent threads on NL
Politics / Now That GMB Has Concured With Ngozi On FG Allocations Can Aregbe Shut Up ! (1) by GBTYO. 44 posts & 1174 views. 9:20pm (Gbawe) Politics / Where Is Femi Osunbande? by GBTYO. 9 posts & 200 views. 7:49pm (kay1one2) Politics / ISIS Operating Slave Markets Where Women And Girls Are Auctioned by GBTYO. 17 posts & 328 views. 3:25pm (GBTYO) Politics / Moslem Lobby Groups Now Dominate British And American State And Foriegn Policies by GBTYO. 7 posts & 214 views. 10:19pm On May 09 (themilanway) Politics / Decree 4 Was Promulgated In 1984 To Shield Buhari's Corrupt Past (1) (2) by GBTYO. 65 posts & 1611 views. 8:30am On Apr 29 (WombRaiders) Politics / You Want A Reduction In FG Allocation But Are Against Resource Control (1) by GBTYO. 34 posts & 394 views. 6:26pm On Apr 24 (Rexxie) Politics / How Will You React To These Headlines? by GBTYO. 14 posts & 241 views. 3:07pm On Apr 24 (tkcosby02) Crime / Women Gang R@ped In Public And Forced To Convert To Islam by GBTYO. 26 posts & 1542 views. 4:05pm On Apr 16 (babajero) Politics / The Politics Of Oil And The Yorubas (1) by GBTYO. 61 posts & 1441 views. 5:33pm On Apr 11 (chacoonder) Politics / Watch Remi Tinubu Harass Obanikoro On The Floors Of The Senate Chamber (1) (2) (3) ... (6) (7) ( * by GBTYO. 263 posts & 43450 views. 8:34am On Apr 09 (whitecat2) Politics / What Aregberascal Borrowed And Spent Osun's Future On (pics) (1) by GBTYO. 60 posts & 1934 views. 11:58am On Mar 28 (infostreamngr) Politics / If Buhari Wasn't Contesting, Will The Polity Be So Tense? by GBTYO. 21 posts & 281 views. 8:24am On Mar 27 (Deiok) Politics / The Many Supporters Of Boko Haram by GBTYO. 19 posts & 245 views. 9:23pm On Mar 24 (abes) Politics / APC Shills And Their Latest Lie. by GBTYO. 2 posts & 66 views. 9:10am On Mar 23 (GBTYO) Politics / The Shilling Has Been Taken To Maximum Overdrive! by GBTYO. 7 posts & 101 views. 6:37pm On Mar 15 (charix) Politics / Thousands Of Muslims Flock To ISIS In Libya...
I wonder who feeds Jonathan with lies, De klerk divorced Marike because he was having an affair and not because she hated majority rule. And they got divorced 4 years after Mandela became president.
The president tries to talk like he is smart.....
Even in the dying throes of his lacklustre administration, Jonathan continues to stand matters of public record on the head
Mrs de Klerk never criticised her husband openly and said she would still stand by him even after he publicly confessed to an affair with the wife of a shipping tycoon and said he wanted to end their 38 year marriage.
"I told him: 'If you change your mind, I'll forgive everything - up to 70 times seven," Mrs de Klerk wrote in her autobiography. "He whispered: 'I'm certain about my decision. Stop hoping'."
Such has been the level of cluelessness which circumscribed his reign these last few years.
When we drew attention to the fact that posterity demanded more from our most educated President to date, his legions of froth-drooling sycophants were always quick to mount the cavalry of ethnic or religious warfare.
In the cold light of day, has the truth not finally been laid bare now?
Where are all the jesters of yester-years who stroked his ego, convinced that it was enough to ride roughshod over dissenting voices which really mattered?
Orikinla: Apparently, you lack the intellect for the intellectual comprehension of what she said in context of the missing Chibok school girls. Calling her an idi-ot only means you are childish and foolish and those who liked your comment are the real idiots. It is now common practice for non-entities who are even academic and professional failures and non-achievers to come on Nairaland and castigate notable Nigerian academic and professional achievers like Oby and others. You don't even understand how to use tenses, and you are calling someone an idi-ot? You are intellectually reta-rded.
He thinks he is making sense by deflecting the failures of the ruling party with puerile arguments about what the opposition represents. Hear him ask with some temerity; if Oby Ezekwesil has ever managed any viable entity in her life, when even her most ardent detractor should recall how she earned the sobriquet - Madam "Due Process".
The standards on NL have fallen far, I tell you. For what now passes for political commentary are ill-conceived arguments produced by fickle individuals, who regale in the contrived expressions of adulation ('likes') they attract.
What I described above is one of the legacies Jonathan managed to foist on the nation - total denigration of our public intellectual space.
I don't usefully reply vain and unscrupulous comments but I will give you attention this once.
From my earlier comment on this thread, I said he should simply refute the publication and his involvement from the inception which will freely be published by premiumtimesng and saharareporters to shame the perpetrators and clear his name.
From what this publication and his prayers to court portray is one hungry opportunist who lost his bargaining power hence decided to use the court as a means of blackmail and profiteering.
**** Please, don't quote me again if you can't tame your incivility and lack of home training. ****
I called you out for your poor comprehension skills, and instead of dealing with that basic truth; you convulse in the characteristic manner of the average NL thug.
With respect to my earlier post, if you hadn't been so determined to defend the indefensible, you would have noticed that he forewarned the Madueke crew about the slippery slop they were about to embark on. Shouldn't someone who has been wronged under those circumstances be able to resort to legal restitution, without having an irrational individual with a clear case of identity-crisis (like yourself) maligning his character?
Now whether you decide to pop a vein or retrace your steps, as I counselled earlier, is of no real consequence to me. That choice is entirely yours to make
What did Mr Know-All do when he saw the publication? Instead of issuing rebuttal as done by respectable statesmen like Wole Soyinka, Alex Ekwueme etc, he waited as hungry man he is to claim compensation.
This is a price to stardom for every rising star in any profession. Get lost with the threat or wait for another 15 years for our judiciary to issue the final judgment through the supreme court.
[/s]
In your bone-headed attempt to defend what more independent observers will regards as an egregious act, you clearly missed the following account.
Mr. Imobo-Tswam alleges that, despite his refusal to attack Mr. Obasanjo, Mr. Mukwuzi and Mr. Ademola affixed his name as the author of a scurrilous piece that was published in several Nigerian newspapers.
The plaintiff also asserts that he was approached again to use his name and platform to defend Ms. Alison-Madueke after the minister was accused of recklessly squandering more than N10 billion of public funds on chartered jets.
The lawsuit stated that, despite the plaintiff’s refusal to lend his name or that of his platform to the defense of the minister, the defendants went ahead to write an advertorial titled “The Unveiling of Operation Destroy Diezani,” giving the misleading impression that he had authored it. The document was subsequently published in several Nigerian newspapers on March 26, 2014. The publication used the plaintiff’s platform’s letterhead, e-mail address and personal phone number.
Carry on in this stride and you would lose your heavily degraded, moral compass altogether. Time to retrace your steps and salvage some semblance of honour, don't you think?
Another post I wrote to address the fallacy of a 'single currency' that is often mentioned as the reason for Gaddafi's demise.
Anyone who has taken time to study Gaddafi's ambivalence towards many laudable projects which he himself championed at one point or another, would understand why the narrative of a "new currency being singularly responsible for his demise" is simplistic. In my view, this does not even tell half the story. Why would the West suddenly get jittery about Gaddafi's call for the adoption of a single African currency in 2009, when there are hundreds of less contentious African Union (AU) approved initiatives picking up dust in the filing cabinets at Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)? What was so special about this particular call to a group countries that seldom operate with unity of purpose, and with diverse and disparate monetary systems which are not easy to integrate in the short term, that it provided the raison d'etre for Western nations to invade Libya?
Is it that we are not aware of the Sino-US rivalry over Libyan Oil investments, or that the Arab spring which had arrived in Libya provided another NATO ally (Britain) with an opportunity to re-activate a BP Oil deal which had stalled?
What about the duplicity of the main NATO aggressor - The French government - who had been wrong-footed when Gaddafi refused to opt for its overpriced Dassault’s Rafale fighter jets and Areva’s nuclear reactors ("The Libya War, or How to Sell Rafale and Eurofighter Jets".
More specifically; what about the nature of Gadaffi's relationship with Sarzoky, which resulted in Libyan funds going towards the 2007 Presidential election campaign in France, and the simmering exposé which was going to topple the French seat of government? (Note: "France's second-largest public television channel has aired an audio excerpt from an interview with Muammar Gaddafi in which the late Libyan dictator repeatedly claimed that he financed Nicolas Sarkozy's presidential campaign in 2007" ("Gaddafi claims over financing Sarkozy presidential campaign reappear on French TV"
If we stay with France for a bit longer, we would understand the intersect between the 2012 elections - which were only months away; the prospect of losing power - which was regarded as an existential threat by the corrupt political establishment in France; and the insurgency in Libya - which, ultimately, served as a 'tipping point' to be exploited by teh NATO-cabal of imperialist powers.
No bruv - Gaddafi's downfall goes beyond the issue of African empowerment, a subject which he had equivocated on for at least 40 years before his last major fallout with other Arab states. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "So what explains Sarkozy's about-face vis-à-vis Libya? His sudden support for the anti-Gaddafi rebels can be attributed to two main factors: opinion polls and the closely related issue of Muslim immigration.
Sarkozy's sudden zeal for the cause of democracy in Libya comes as his popularity is at record lows just thirteen months before the first round of the 2012 presidential election. With polls showing that Sarkozy is the least popular president since the founding of the Fifth Republic in 1958, he is betting that French voters will appreciate his efforts in Libya to place France at the center of the world stage and reinforce what Charles de Gaulle once famously called "a certain idea of France" as a nation of exceptional destiny.
Further, Sarkozy's main rival is not Gaddafi, but rather Marine Le Pen, the charismatic new leader of the far-right National Front party in France. A new opinion poll published by Le Parisien newspaper on March 8 has Le Pen, who took over from her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, in January, winning the first round of next year's presidential election.
The survey gives Le Pen 23%, two percentage points ahead of both Sarkozy and Socialist leader Martine Aubry. On the basis of this opinion poll, Le Pen would automatically qualify for the second round run-off with one or other of the two mainstream party leaders.
Le Pen, who appeals to middle class voters, is riding high on voter dissatisfaction with the failure of the mainstream parties to address the problem of Muslim immigration. Since taking her post three months ago, Le Pen has single-handedly catapulted the twin issues of Muslim immigration and French national identity to the top of the French political agenda. In recent weeks, Le Pen has been a permanent fixture on prime-time television to discuss the threat to France of a wave of immigrants from Libya.
Gaddafi has already pledged that Europe will be "invaded" by an army of African immigrants: "You will have immigration. Thousands of people from Libya will invade Europe. There will be no-one to stop them any more," he warned on March 6 in an interview with the French newspaper Journal du Dimanche.
During a visit to Italy in August 2010, Gaddafi demanded €5 billion a year from the European Union to stop illegal immigration which "threatens to turn Europe black." At the time, Gaddafi asked: "What will be the reaction of the white Christian Europeans to this mass of hungry, uneducated Africans? We don't know if Europe will remain an advanced and cohesive continent or if it will be destroyed by this barbarian invasion. We have to imagine that this could happen, but before it does we need to work together."
Furious Europeans have compared Gaddafi's demands for cash to stop illegal immigration to a "Mafia extortion racket." But since the revolt in Tunisia in January, nearly 15,000 boat people (more than the total for all of 2010) have arrived on the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa, a 20-square-kilometer island that traditionally has been a major gateway for illegal immigration into the European Union." (Source: "Why France Was So Keen to Attack Libya"-- http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/1983/france-libya-attack)
socialmediaman: Very informative. I knew Ghadaffi's achievements were hyped, he couldn't have done all that and people still wanted him out at all cost. This is just impossible! Humans are not that stupid.
Trust me bro, I was for a time Gaddafi's greatest fan. Copied in below is my response to a discussion that took place elsewhere.
I am sure your intervention here, much like mine, is not simply an attempt to assassinate Gaddafi's character but to give a more holistic appraisal of his reign. I first encountered the maverick he was during my youth in Nigeria. We lived in a town close to the border with Republic of Benin <<Guess which one >> - so I had the 'good fortune' of spending 6 hours with other poor souls, at the side of a major highway, as we waited and waited in vain for this African hero (who was much admired and derided ) to drive past. Of course being of a radical bent, that particular episode did not put me off completely. In the years that were to follow, as I grew older, I touted the credentials of this leader because my politics was also largely about "socking it to imperialism".
As was expected of me, I dismissed a lot of the concerns that were voiced about his excesses, because doing otherwise would have been considered heretical. Much later; not even Gaddafi's ambivalence towards the 7th Pan-African congress (Kampala) which he tried to dictate terms to, compelled a more objective take. The brother who dissuaded me from honouring a call to go off to Libya for military training is still alive and can attest to the conversation we had, which caused me to reconsider my views for the very first time. I owe it that brother for removing the blinkers from my eyes; although I am somewhat disappointed that, like so many from the same period, he has become some kind of evangelical pastor today.
Oh I know what went down in the Caribbean! I also know about Gaddafi's involvement with Anti-Jewish right-wing fascists groups in Canada. Where he evidentially failed in his quest to dominate Caribbean politics, he succeeded in changing the landscape of West Africa by funding macabre insurgent groups like the ones headed by Charles Taylor and others in Liberia; the rebel movement lead by Freddy Sankoh in Sierra Leone; the renegade-turn-president in the Gambia...and so on. Even now what most people fail to understand is that, Nigeria's Boko Haram has his imprint written all over it - as a result of weapons stolen from Libya. Would the wars in Chad and Sudan have lasted for as long as they did, with millions of lives lost without Gaddafi's misadventures? I doubt it! Would Amin have been emboldened to the extent he was, to the point where Nyerere was left with no choice but to clip his demonic wings? I fear not. We are getting into the arena of serious reflection here bro, far away from the simplistic and hackneyed sound-bites armchair revolutionaries would rather peddle.
I am more than willing to outline other contradictions which railed against the Pan-African struggle for true emancipation, even as I concede that he paradoxically did more than most of the other jokers who paraded themselves as leaders. Yes I have no problems accepting the good he did, while calling on his hagiographers to allow circumspection. Let's claim "no easy victories" with our analysis. Let's tell the whole truth, as Amilcar Cabral suggested.
I have decided to revisit my personal journey here, to show that I understand what informs much of the 'pedestrian account' often provided on these pages.
socialmediaman: I kinda made my inference from the 2 sides of the story and it makes sense to me. It's like East and West Germany. The government on both sides were different, one was high handed, the other had freedom and opportunities. People were forced to stay in the east, it was different in the west. Sometimes the handouts people are given are not enough for them, they wanna be free to explore their potentials. One Egyptian guy once told me he wanted to travel out but he wouldn't be given a passport, it wasn't allowed. In such societies you can't get justice because a certain class of people are ruling. One Libyan once said he wanted to become a Doctor but he wasn't allowed to study English language and some medical courses, everything was controlled and people just feel trapped. People don't just start a revolution because they're fed lies, they have been planning it, and when they see opportunity, they carry it out..
You are too right @socialmediaman. It is difficult to process these unqualified hagiographies when I know that, once we strip away the veneer of propaganda, the truth lies somewhere between the claims and counter-claims made below.
Not sure I have the strength to rehash some of things I have written about that regime here... So I will just see if I can find some of my old posts.
---------------------------------------------------------------------- THE UNKNOWN FACTS ABOUT THE LIBYAN DICTATOR MUAMMAR GADDAFI: 1. There is no electricity bill in Libya; electricity is free for all its citizens.
Categorically untrue. Despite poor electricity infrastructure and poor coverage of electricity lines, even in the Capital, Libyan home owners pay monthly/quarterly (area dependant) electricity bills based on meter readings. Electricity is cut off in instances of unpaid bills. Reconnection upon payment is not instant. The electric infrastructure is weak and some areas of Libya do not have electricity available at all.
2. There is no interest on loans, banks in Libya are state-owned and loans given to all its citizens at 0% interest by law.
Categorically untrue. Banks all over Libya have been giving out loans for years and years. There is a percentage rate charge on all loans, which is comparable to an interest rate, but in the spirit of ‘islamic ethics’ it is not called interest, it is called an ‘Administrative Expense’ – Masareef Edareeya.
3. Home considered a human right in Libya – Gaddafi vowed that his parents would not get a house until everyone in Libya had a home. Gaddafi’s father has died while him, his wife and his mother are still living in a tent.
Gaddafi abused this human right as much as he did other basic rights. It is well known in Libya that political opponents and successful business men/women had their homes confiscated and handed over to regime members, usually rewards for Free Officers – Dubat A7rar. Many farms and homes and businesses were confiscated during three infamous phases of Libyas dictatorial history:
1969 – The dreaded Green Revolution. Free Officers were rewarded land, homes, and farms that sometimes belonged to other people and the original owners were not compensated or asked if this was ok. Late 70’s – The introduction of the law Albayt le Sakinehee – The Home Belongs to its Dwellers. As this law was passed overnight, thousands of homeowners instantly lost their homes, as tenants (those renting the homes) claimed ownership on account of being the ‘dwellers’. The law applied to homes, farms, shops, etc. 90’s – The introduction of Purification Committees (Lejnat al Tatheer). This committee ran by the widely know slogan, ‘Min ayna laka hada?’ – “From where did you obtain this?”, a form of ultra-socialism where people’s possessions, including homes and businesses, were confiscated if seen to be ‘surplus to requirement’ or contributing to a ‘monopoly’.
4. All newlyweds in Libya receive $60,000 Dinar (US$50,000) by the government to buy their first apartment so to help start up the family.
This is a well known rumour and a common joke in Libya. Whilst it may have been passed as official legislation, I know of not a single family who has been given this grant. The backbreaking bureaucracy associated with such grants and loans make them more or less impossible to obtain.
5. Education and medical treatments are free in Libya. Before Gaddafi only 25% of Libyans were literate. Today the figure is 83%.
Education and Health Care – Free does not mean adequate. It is well known that Libya’s standard of health care is nothing short of appalling. It is widely known that the majority of Libyans seeking medical care leave for neighbouring countries for treatment. Our Education system is no better. It is outdated, teachers are underpaid and under-trained and libraries are largely non-existent. The syllabus was constantly being revised and reviewed under direct instruction from the former regime e.g. banning English, changing Quranic verses, etc. It is commonly said that Libyans would be happy to forfeit their ‘free health care’ and pay for a National Health Service if it was up to the required standard.
6. Should Libyans want to take up farming career, they would receive farming land, a farming house, equipments, seeds and livestock to kick-start their farms – all for free.
This has never happened, in addition to this many farms and homes have been confiscated by the government to build railroads, The Great Man Made River and civil roads.
The owners of the land were only compensated if there was a covered structure on the land as the Gaddafi regime legally owned any land and the people were only allowed to build on it. When there was compensation offered it was nowhere near the actual value of the property and many waited years to receive anything if at all. This system was also rife with corruption many residents told they had to pay a bribe to receive what little they were given.
7. If Libyans cannot find the education or medical facilities they need in Libya, the government funds them to go abroad for it – not only free but they get US$2,300/mth accommodation and car allowance.
Categorically untrue. If this was the case, the former regime would have been in receipt of 6 million application forms – one for every man, women and child who ‘cannot find education or medical facilities they need’. This grant does not exist for the mainstream public. There is anectdotal evidence of some medical grants being given but again, the system was corrupt and opaque.
8. In Libyan, if a Libyan buys a car, the government subsidized 50% of the price.
There is no truth to the former Gaddafi regime paying 50% of the value of a new car.
Whilst the price of fuel is indeed cheap, the quality of roads, the accuracy and availability of road signs, the presence of road traffic police, and all other transport infrastructure is of abysmal standard.
The absence of an integrated and functional public transport system means that people are reliant on their cars for all movement and might end up paying more on fuel than our neighbours around the Mediterranean basin.
9. The price of petrol in Libya is $0.14 per litre.
10. Libya has no external debt and its reserves amount to $150 billion – now frozen globally.
Whilst our sovereign wealth is undeniable, none of it was spent on the people of Libya nor the infrastructure of the country. Basic amenities, services, and state infrastructure are either absent or of appalling standard.
The availability of money is not tantamount to wealth or prosperity. The Arabs have a saying about Libya – “A rich nation of poor inhabitants.”
11. If a Libyan is unable to get employment after graduation the state would pay the average salary of the profession as if he or she is employed until employment is found.
Categorically untrue. Even basic wages are sometimes unpaid for months, for those lucky enough to be employed. Welfare for the unemployed is non-existent.
12. A portion of Libyan oil sale is, credited directly to the bank accounts of all Libyan citizens.
No basis to this claim as no such case can be found.
13. A mother who gave birth to a child receive US$5,000
Categorically untrue. There is a Child Benefit welfare payment in Libya – it is roughly 15-20 Libyan Dinars a month per child. No Libyan citizen was given foreign currency as compensation.
14. 40 loaves of bread in Libya costs $ 0.15
Bread was subsidized by the state. Whilst the price varies (marginally) from shop to shop, bread usually costs ¼ dinars for 10 baguettes (small) or roughly 500grams per dinar.
15. 25% of Libyans have a university degree
The absence of a comprehensive selection process and a corrupt entry protocol means that universities in Libya are grossly over populated and over subscribed, despite limited facilities. This results in an over inflated number of graduates, but not necessarily an adequate level of employability. There are thousands of students studying foundation year medicine in Tripoli alone.
16. Gaddafi carried out the world’s largest irrigation project, known as the Great Man-Made River project, to make water readily available throughout the desert country.
The Jury is still out on this. The project has indeed supplied water to many towns and cities around Libya, but the cost is thought to be as stratastrophic as the time it took to complete this. Further, decades of an absence of appropriate licensing, monitoring and control has meant that wells were dug for every home, putting immense pressure on Libya’s natural and naturally replenishable water sources. This resulted in the increase of salinity in local water reserves, which lead to the need for an expansive project such as the Man Made River
Chief Victor Umeh who had nicodemously gone to meet with him.
Chai!!!
Nicodemously
Posted by David Webb on August 29, 2002
Several English language African newspapers have referred to people acting "Nicodemously". What does this word mean? There is a Nicodemus in the Bible but what he says and does does not readily suggest a meaning. Usage of the word is generally pejorative but occasionally positive. Examples of its use can be found by using an Internet search engine like Google.
(1) You and @OP are a couple of nincompoops, who are thoroughly undeserving of posting privileges which should be the reserve of individuals with fully developed brains.
(2) 'Yoruba' is no more a tribe than 'English' or 'Scottish' is.
Obasanjo Foundation CEO Boasts About Extensive Money-Laundering Scheme On His Behalf
MAY 07, 2015
While two-time Nigeria leader Olusegun Obasanjo has often appeared to many Nigerians to be insincere about combating corruption in the country, proof of his corrupt activities has been hard to find.
A new video obtained by SaharaReporters, which features Anne Welsh, the CEO of the Obasanjo Foundation in London, suggests she has operated a well-oiled money-laundering scheme for many years.
Anne Welsh, a former investment banker, apparently met former president Olusegun Obasanjo during a Brussels conference in 2011 when Anne was the Chairperson of Sickle Cell Society. At the event, he befriended her and encouraged her to begin do some work with Africa.
In the video, discreetly shot by one of the participants in the meeting in the United Kingdom in December 2014, Ms. Welsh is involved in a $4.9 million scheme to exploit the Ebola Virus Disease tragedy in West Africa through helping a group of “Lebanese businessmen” who wished to donate money to the Obasanjo Foundation for some work in Sierra Leone.
The group explains it would make the donation on one condition: the Obasanjo Foundation would get $2m, as long as it helps launder the balance of $2.9m.
Not a problem, Ms. Welsh tells the potential contributors, explaining she was well-grounded in the fine art of management stealth: “I had to go through training, through president Obasanjo, political training for one year to become discreet,” she says.
She gives away a few more secrets about how the practice works: “Sometimes we get dollars from people who give money to our foundation and they say they don’t want it to be known that they donated the money but they want to have a letter on like our letter-headed paper and a letter from Obasanjo stating just to say ‘Thank you for your kind donations to the foundation for the work to support Ebola’. That’s it. That is what we normally do.”
As the discussion proceeds, her interlocutors tell her they do not really care how the money given to the foundation is [actually] spent, as long as their interest is protected. They move on to discuss the percentage of the $2.9 that would come to Ms. Welsh, personally.
“At least 30%, think about the hard work I’m going to put into this, you will be so grateful to me,” she proposes.
The agreement is reached. Ms. Welsh would get the 30%, (totaling $900,000) in exchange for writing a letter thanking the Lebanese community for its donation towards fighting Ebola.
How is the transfer of the money to be done? Ms. Welsh explains that she basically uses GTBank in Nigeria because it is easy to manipulate the banks in Nigeria while in the United Kingdom she cannot transfer the dubious funds to anyone.
“You have to send it to the account in Nigeria, GT Bank, because if it comes to this account here, I can’t transfer it to anyone, if it comes to a charity account in the UK I can’t transfer it out. I can also pay you from a UK account.”
She provides further guarantees: “Immediately it hits my account it gets to you [you get yours] right away. And I need the account details you want me to transfer it to. Is it a Geneva account?”
Ms. Welsh further explains her operational method. “…That’s why I’m in Nigeria on the 26th so that I can seat at the bank while I do the transfer back to your account, it’s a good coincidence because in Nigeria I don’t trust the bank I will rather be there.”
Asked by one of her interlocutors whether she has handled this kind of business before, Ms. Welsh confirms she has done it more than once.
“I’ve done this before, I have even done it from the Nigerian end and London end. I just want to make sure that whoever’s account I send it to is able to receive bulk transfers.”
She assures the man: “You are not the first and you will not be the last.”
Apparently quite pleased at making nearly $1m from just a few minutes’ meeting, Obasanjo’s CEO, who stresses that she has “a very good reputation” she must protect, becomes loquacious and provides a quick autobiography.
“My life started out slow and it picked up, and I’m going to pray to God it stays high, just look at it, I just met you guys. I’m a firm believer that the people that are good around me will always be around me. One question I get, “How do you work with President Obasanjo” because if you read about him you will see that he fought the war in Nigeria, he’s the guy all other leaders call up on for help, him and I are always travelling, last time we were in Ghana and this guy had a problem we had to help get money from Goodluck because he did not have enough money. We did so much secret things. Then Obasanjo said to me that the reason he’s doing all these things in front of me and with me is because he trusts me. First time I met him was in Brussels, he was giving a keynote address, and he said to me, ‘Come to Africa, and I was like “I’ve not been to that country since I left” and he said to me ‘Just come, I’ll get my wife to look after you.’ I wasn’t sure but something in my mind said it was alright, I asked my mum, I did my research just like how you did your research on me, I did my research on him. So I said to myself, ‘Ann you’ve lived in Nigeria, the worst that could happen is you dying’.”
By “this guy” she was referring to Ghanaian leader John Mahama. By “Goodluck” she meant outgoing Nigerian leader, Mr. Jonathan.
Translation: Mr. Mahama desperately—and apparently personally—needed funds, and Obasanjo somehow obtained it for him from Mr. Jonathan. It is unclear at what time that event took place or why. Those details are critical because in 2013 and 2014, Obasanjo was at war with Mr. Jonathan, reportedly over corruption and incompetence. It was in December 2013 that Obasanjo wrote his famous letter to Jonathan.
In his new autobiography, “My Watch” Obasanjo said of Mr. Jonathan among many other blistering comments: “In the area of corruption, we have been going back steadily from the inception of Yar’Adua’s administration when the ‘hunter’ became the ‘hunted’. Under Jonathan we seem to have gone from frying pan to fire. If in the past corruption was in the corridors of power, it would seem now to be in the sitting room, dining room and bedroom of power.”
It is also of great interest that Mr. Mahama took office as President of Ghana in July 2012, suggesting that unless Obasanjo took advantage of his quarrels with Jonathan in 2013 and 2014 for financial gain, it could only have been in the second half of 2012 that he was on sufficiently-happy terms with Jonathan to have asked him for money for the Ghanaian leader.
SaharaReporters reached out to Ms. Welsh so she could narrate the context of the meeting at which the audiotape was made. She confirmed details of the meeting, stating that she was indeed present, but denied that any wrongdoing took place. She also confirmed to SaharaReporters that she clearly stated her name over the course of the meeting. She naturally did not comment on any of the “so much secret things” she admitted she has done with Obasanjo.
Also contacted, representatives for Obasanjo told SaharaReporters that the Obasanjo Foundation has copies of its audited accounts from 2012 and 2013, and that they are finalizing the 2014 audit. They insisted that they could account for all transactions and the use of their funds. They offered SaharaReporters copies of those older reports for review.
Are you really a physician? I've seen your posts for years and you display prejudice and hate bordering on the pathological. It's unusual to see an MD who has taken the Hippocratic Oath so unashamedly and relentlessly delight in anti-social behaviour. I once saw a post of yours where you compared 12-year old girls who want to wear hijab in school to prostitutes. Is that the way you see children? Would you be comfortable for those who know you to see your Nairaland opinons?
That arrowhead of bigotry will get her just deserts soon.
I wonder if @OP would be similarly enamoured by the news that the first Nigerian-Christian Mayor on US soil, was convicted of extortion, public corruption and tax evasion in Ohio back in 2005.
Wole was seeking cheap fame hence his venture into Biafra during the war. As for your apology,COUNT ME OUT!
^^^The jaundiced musings of an irredeemable bigot? I will put good money on it.
Back then Nigeria teetered on the brink of civil war.
The people of the east, referring to themselves as Biafrans, felt that they had suffered discrimination and persecution at the hands of the Nigerian Federation and their leader Odumegwu Ojukwu declared his intention to create an independent state.
Violent conflict seemed inevitable, and a group of Nigerian intellectuals then resident in London argued that someone should travel to Biafra to speak to Ojukwu and attempt to head off hostilities.
It fell to Wole Soyinka to undertake that dangerous mission to a jittery and volatile region.
He met with Ojukwu and later returned to Lagos.
Suspicious of his motives, the federal government imprisoned Soyinka on suspicion of his involvement in the sale of military aircraft to the east.
Politics / Re: HRH Sanusi Speaks Again On The Missing $20b And The PWC Report. by TheOtherview: 11:18am On May 14, 2015 
As we are badly in need of political figures who can walk a different path, even if only for a time, his spirited intervention has my full blessing.
He simply cant even add and subtract! 
* 
.